ne, itakun
by lucidic
Summary: AU. "I've decided I'm going to marry that girl one day."


**who **Ita-kun and little Sasu-chan**  
what **AU; good old sibling bonding**  
where **the streets of Konoha**  
when **a memory from long long ago**  
why **I was looking through some cute fanart of the two on deviantart :3

**disclaimer **would you actually believe if I said I did? ... yeah, didn't think so.

* * *

"You are going to do it–no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"But kaa-san..."

A seventeen year old Uchiha Itachi hung his head in utter defeat. In front of him, the Uchiha matriarch and unexpected totalitarian of the household stood battle ready, fiercely clutching a wooden spoon that she been using to stir stew moments before. There was an inferno in her eyes and the infamous Uchiha scowl upon her lips–Itachi's own frown could hardly compare, she was indeed the original. He sat at the kitchen table across from where his mother was at the stove, still clad in his pjs and mussed hair with his head in his hand.

"I don't want to hear it Chi-chan." Mikoto turned back to her potage. "You never spend time with your little brother, and I think this is the perfect chance!"

One lone bead of sweat clung to the side of the elder Uchiha brother's face desperately before sliding down the steep incline of his neck and finding home gliding across the smooth plain of his chiseled upper torso. "The heat wave has yet to let up," he commented, detesting the feeling of his hair sticking to the back of his neck and hoping that his mother would rethink her ridiculous request.

"Oh? Then maybe you two can stop for ice cream on the way," was all she said as she moved her business to the sink.

Itachi bit back the whiny groan that was rising in the back of his throat, he settled for a more appropriate "Aa," and rose from his seated position, his plaid sleeping boxers slightly wrinkled. Kissing his mother on the top of the head, Itachi exited the kitchen and gradually made his way to his room on the second floor. Quietly, he closed the door behind him with a barely audible _click _and began picking up the clothes that had been carelessly strewn across the floor.

With his back facing the bed, Itachi only just heard the soft rustling of sheets and a sleepy moan even with highly trained ears. The noise stopped and he turned just in time to see an unruly head of cyan hair emerge from the tangled blankets atop his mattress. The springs creaked lowly as she sat up, rubbing an eye cutely with one of her hands and stretching out the other behind her back.

"Do I have to go?" she asked, with a mouth full of yawn.

"Aa." He nodded.

Sighing from the inevitable use of movement and activity, Konan climbed out of bed and adjusted the overly-large band tee that Itachi had lent to her after their rambunctious activities the night before. It drowned her petite body and even drooped to one side, giving a peep of her creamy shoulder. Bending down, she began to help Itachi retrieve _their _wayward clothes from the floor and met said boy on accident toward the middle of the room.

"Let me just get dressed, and I'll be sneaking out the window before the shower water hits your body," she said, grabbing her bra in the process. Suddenly, a hand shot out and pulled her close by the wrist. Looking up into the dark of eyes of Uchiha Itachi, she saw a glint from the mid-afternoon sun and a familiar grin crawl to his lips.

"Who said I was taking my shower alone?"

-

-**&**&**&-**

-

The sun beat down mercilessly upon all who dared to challenge its impressive heat, melting tar and sucking moisture from where ever it laid its rays. Waves of warmth danced above the blacktop hypnotically, making it look as if one was wading through a river or standing on a skillet itself. Flowers wilted in the nearby parks, watching parched as children frolicked merrily in the cool mists and sputtering spouts of the public fountains. Parents observed on the sidelines, shrouded by the trees' generous amount of leaves, with their lemonade and bottled water.

Some people passing on the streets looked liked drown rats. Bogged down and miserable by their own sweat, they looked as if they had just swam the channel or taken a shower in their own clothes with their pit stains and hair soaked to their foreheads. Uchiha Itachi was one of those people.

... in his mind.

On the inside he was much like the people he walked by–pissed off and overheated, thanks to the highest recorded temperature Konoha had gotten since the 60's. But on the outside, he was as cool as a cucumber–chill as a pill, and wore the same monotone expression that he came dressed in for all occasions.

"Fuck this shit," he ground out, reaching his destination.

Pressing the circular white doorbell, Itachi stepped back and stood patiently as the front door was opened with forceful jerk and a feisty mop of red hair could be seen through the screen door."Itata-kun!" He frowned at one of the many nicknames he had accumulated. "It's been so long–look how much you've grown!"

"Kushina-san," he greeted. "You just saw me two weeks ago."

"I know, but every time I see you, you seem to get more handsome," she squealed in a motherish tone, resisting the urge to pinch his attractive little cheeks and straightening her inner-posture. "Anyway... I'll go get little Sasu-chan."

Ten seconds later, Itachi could hear the noisy patter of sneakered feet padding against hardwood floors as a little blur of bluish black pushed past the screen door and onto the worn wood of the front porch. For a second he looked around wildly–probably looking for kass-san, Itachi mused–and was greeted with a pair of large excited shining eyes as they spotted him leaning next to the door he had just rushed out of.

"ITACHI NII-SAAAAAN!"

Was the only warning call he was given before he was suddenly bombarded by an onslaught of little brother. He felt small arms try to wrap around his lower torso as best they could and squeeze his hips together tight. The head that had been resting right above his groin area moved and looked up at him all awe inspiring and such; Sasuke smiled at him wide and energized.

"What are you doing here, aniki?"

"I've come to pick you up, dummy." Placing his two first fingers together, Itachi pushed them gently into little brother's forehead, "Where's the blonde one?" he asked, referring to the hyperactive son of Uzumaki Minato and Kushina.

Sasuke giggled. "Still sleeping," he answered, then began to tug on his elder brother's large hand. "Now, come on!"

-

-**&**&**&**-

-

"Ano... Chi-chan..."

Itachi glanced down at the calling of his mother's pet name for him, only to half to look about a foot behind him to find Sasuke. He slowed to a stop and allowed his little feet to catch up to his before beginning his brisk walk in the blinding heat. In the beginning of their trek back, Sasuke had taken a hold of Itachi's hand and didn't mind upholding a steady jog to keep up with his favorite... and only sibling's pace. But as the minutes slowly wore on, the little Uchiha found himself falling steadily behind.

Sasuke shifted his overnight pack uncomfortably from one shoulder to the other, dragging his tired feet as fast he could. Looking up, he realized he was slowly loosing track of his brother in the sea of taller people that were filling the widening gap between them. He panicked at the thought of being all alone and used up the rest of his energy to catch up, only to run into his brother's leg and fall.

Itachi stopped and turned at the sudden impact, looking down to see his little brother rising from the hot ground. His eyes softened as he watched Sasuke pant feverishly in attempt to catch his breath, his little hands resting on his knees. Bending down, he got to one knee in the middle of the street.

"Chi-chan, I'm tired," Sasuke wheezed out, still looking down at his feet. Slowly, he looked up, intent on meeting his brother eyes, only to get his back. "Can we... huh?"

"Just get on."

Without hesitation, Sasuke climbed into his back and relished the very rare occasion of being given a piggyback ride. Wrapping his tiny arms around his brother's neck, he smiled widely at the new height and the breeze the graced his face as his Itachi continued walking.

Sasuke hugged him around the neck happily. "Thanks, nii-san!"

"Hn."

-

-**&**&**&-**

-

They walked in silence for a while, neither saying much of anything. They both knew it was too hot to carry-on any type of conversation. Not that conversing was in their genes or anything. But mostly they'd observe, and Sasuke would point out things he found interesting instead of voicing his opinion and Itachi would simply nod as they moved on and passed whatever it was.

One of the few things that Itachi could appreciate about his little brother–other than the fact that ladies found utterly adorable and he was extremely mature for his age–was that he knew when to appreciate the quieter moments in life. Don't get him wrong, he talked _all _the time and always wanted to hang out with him, but he was weirdly perceptive when it came to shutting his trap at the right moments.

"Aniki?"

"Hn."

"Did Konan nee-chan stay over last night?"

"Aa."

Another thing he liked, was the actuality that his little brother could keep a secret better than most of his friends, and would never tattle on him. Often times since he was always out at wild parties, Sasuke would usually tiptoe downstairs and fall asleep waiting for him on the couch, cuddling with his dino-plushie until Itachi would sneak in and carry him upstairs to his room. Then always, just when he thought that the little booger was asleep; he'd grab out for a sleeve or pant leg and ask him to tell him a bedtime story to help ward away the monsters that Mr. Dino couldn't. So Itachi would sigh, roll his eyes, and make himself comfortable facing him at the foot of his bed, and fill his head with the ridiculous things that happened that night until he'd hear soft even breaths.

Plus, he always let Sasuke know when Konan was "sleeping over" so he could send him out to make a lengthy distraction just incase something came up.

He was extremely useful seven year old, Itachi realized._ And that_, he thought, _deserves an ice cream cone_.

"Oi, otouto."

"Hai?"

"What would you say to getting some ice cream?"

"I'd say yay," he answered in childish honesty.

"Then it's settled."

"YAY!"

Coming up upon an ice cream stand, Itachi lowered Sasuke to the ground and burrowed in his pockets for a few dollars. Luckily the line was short and only two little girls around Sasuke's age were in front of them. He watched as they walked up to the metal portable stand and stood as high as they could on their tippy-toes–which Itachi had to admit was adorable–to tell the man what they wanted. As the man made their cones, they searched their skirt pockets for the appropriate money.

The blue-haired one found her money in a matter of seconds, and neatly unfolded it to put in the man's hand. But the other one frantically began digging in her pockets, and eventually turned one out to find a medium-sized hole at the bottom. Her big eyes became wet with unshed tears and her bottom lip jutted out into a heart-breaking pout.

Slowly, she turned to her friend and hiccupped. "Hina-chaaan," she wailed.

Hina-chan made eye contact with the big teary eyes and immediately began to worry. "Eh, what's wrong–wa-why are you crying?" she stuttered out, getting upset at her friend's sudden sorrow.

"My-my money, I lost it," she blubbered, wringing the bottom of her skirt. "Now I can't pay for my ice cream!"

"Do-don't worry! I'll–"

"I'll pay for it."

Both girls turned to the sound of the voice in astonishment. Itachi's gaze slipped down to see Sasuke's determined mug pointed right at the damsel in distress, and smirked. Fishing out his weekly five dollar allowance from his pocket, he walked up to the stand and paid for it himself, probably looking pretty heroic in the little girls' eyes. Taking the cone and the change, he turned to the surprised girl and handed her both.

"Here, give the change to your kaa-san so you don't have to tell her you lost her money," he explained, with a friendly grin.

The astounded girl blinked a few times and took both, making sure to put the extra money in the pocket _without_ the hole. A few stray tears escaped from her bright eyes as she blinked again, and tried to wipe them away quickly. Suddenly, a contagious smile found her lips. "Thank you!" she said, as she happily expressed her gratitude by kissing her knight in shining armor on the cheek.

Gradually, Sasuke brought his hand to cheek with blush that matched the girl's in front of him. Abruptly, she ran away in embarrassment of her own actions and left him standing there underneath the cooling shade of the tree.

"Ne, Sakura-chan!" the pearl-eyed one ran past him. "Wait up!"

-

-**&**&**&-**

**-**

Moments later, the two Uchiha brothers walked down the road side by side, unperturbed by the hot weather as they licked at their vanilla ice cream cones. The sun was beginning to set and cast a warm orange color across the sky, painting the clouds pinks and purples and blues. Streets were quieter now, as it was close to dinner and the children were beginning to be called in to wash up and set the table.

Itachi could see shadows bustle around through the sheer curtains of the kitchen, as they walked past Konan's house. Idly, he though about calling her when he got home and asking if she'd like to go to the drive-ins, so they could go "watch a movie" without actually having to "watch a movie."

If you get what he means.

But he was disturbed from his naughty thoughts when he realized that his little brother had been repeating his name for some time now.

"Ne, Ita-kun..."

Itachi waited for the rest of the sentence, but realized he wasn't going to get it when he saw the far-off but unwavering look in his little brother's eyes. "Hn?" he answered, finishing off the rest of his cone with a single bite.

"I've decided I'm going to marry that girl one day."

* * *

so yeah, this was bad. like _bad _bad in my opinion.  
criticism would be muchly appreciated, please and thank you :)  
I kind of rushed at the end, but oh well.  
hope you all liked it, and just to clear some things up:  
**1 **I know that Itachi and Sasuke are actually 5 years apart, but making them ten years apart just helped it flow better.  
**2 **... I don't think I have a number two -_-;

happy belated birthday, Sasuke!


End file.
